Council selects 9 to new Affordable Housing Steering Committee
HENDERSONVILLE - Nine members have been named to the city of Hendersonville’s new Affordable Housing Steering Committee and will soon begin work on a strategic housing plan.
Hendersonville City Council member Lyndsey Simpson, who asked in January to form the committee, presented a list of nine names to council members during its meeting on Feb. 7.
Simpson said she felt the participants made for “a really well-rounded group,” with representatives from the Housing Assistance Corp., WNC Source, the Home Builders Association, Pisgah Legal Services, the Tourism Development Authority, a realtor, and the Hendersonville Housing Authority.
The Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development will also have a representative on the committee, and Simpson said the ninth member should come from the county.
Councilwoman Jennifer Hensley suggested Bill Lapsley be the county appointee, and his name was added to the list. Along with Lapsley, council members unanimously agreed to name Sarah Cosgrove, Robert Hooper, Jennifer Duvall, Hilary Paradise, Madeline Offen, Debi Smith, Connie Stewart and a representative from the Partnership for Economic Development to the committee.
Council also agreed Simpson and Hensley should serve as the council’s non-voting representatives, with Councilwoman Debbie Roundtree serving as an alternate.
The committee’s goal is to select and work with a consultant to develop an affordable housing strategic plan. The committee will meet soon and select a chairperson, City Manager John Connet said. The meetings will be open to the public.
Hendersonville named ‘Age-Friendly Community’
In early January, the city of Hendersonville agreed to apply for membership in the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities. On Wednesday, the city was presented with a certificate of membership by Rebecca Chaplin, AARP associate state director of AARP’s North Carolina Mountain Region.
“The city of Hendersonville is the 17th emerging community in North Carolina and the 833rd nationwide to join the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities,” she told the council.
“Hendersonville was an age-friendly community before this designation, with multiple efforts and investments that make your city a safer place to live and age. May your membership in this network further the commitment that you already hold.”
The AARP network provides a structure and process to help guide change, Chaplin said, adding that membership means support and access to resources such as research, best practices and planning models.
“But this is your community and you’re doing great work, and I’m proud to present this certification to you here today,” she added.
In other business, the council did the following:
Honored the Water and Sewer crew of Brad Duncan, Jonathan Owen, James Clugh, Caleb Smathers, Brian McCall, Peyton Blackwell, Tommy Sheehan and Chase Dowdy as MVP of the Year for 2023. Each will receive $100 and their names will be added to the MVP of the Year plaque. In 2023, 196 employees were nominated for MVP and each quarter three were chosen as quarterly MVPs. The Water and Sewer crew was chosen as the overall MVP of the Year in recognition of its efforts when a trench at a construction site collapsed in October, trapping two workers.
Read a proclamation declaring February as Black History Month in the city. The proclamation urges residents to “celebrate the history and contributions of African-Americans in our community who have been vital to the growth and development and commit to becoming an inclusive community in which all citizens - past, present and future - are respected.”
Unanimously approved a request to rezone a .44-acre lot at 116 Stewart St. from R-15/ Medium Density Residential to Greenville Highway Mixed Use.
Unanimously approved a request to rezone a .52-acre lot at 799 South Grove St. from R-15/ Medium Density Residential to C-2 Secondary Business.
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: City Council selects 9 to new Affordable Housing Steering Committee
